Dr. Ron's Blog

Find the Flow

This is a heady season in many ways. The rush of spring energy has an upward trajectory throughout nature and through your body. Rising Yang Qi is the theme of the Wood Phase. This is strong but necessary energy. It fuels growth and regeneration, it moves stagnant blood out of the liver, and it stirs the kettle of bubbling emotions. Spring has an exuberant energy that we welcome after this year’s record setting winter. There’s a sense of relief when the day comes that we can say, “It feels like spring!”.

However, a good thing can go too far. And this is easy to do in spring weather. Chinese medicine assigns a “pernicious” environmental factor to each season. An East Wind is the culprit for spring because it often portends barometric changes. Fluctuating air pressure + stormy weather + upward moving Yang Qi = Hyperactive Liver Qi.

In springtime, the Liver takes center stage in our lives. It has to dissolve and move the obstructions of blood and qi that occurred over winter. It has to control upward moving qi from the lower dan tian. Hundreds of toxins and debris have to be metabolized. It’s a lot of work. And tumultuous windy weather makes it even more difficult. When the Liver is overworked or unhealthy it develops Stagnant Liver Qi.

In Chinese medicine, the Liver is responsible for “the smooth and harmonious flow of qi and blood”. We know the Liver is at its best when we feel tranquil, amiable, and freely moving in body and mind. This isn’t possible if the Qi of the Liver is sluggish. If that is the case, the rush of spring energy can disturb Liver function and lead to the ubiquitous and most detrimental malady of humankind…Inappropriate Anger.

Anger is a normal emotion that should be expressed like a lit match that burns brightly for a short time and then is extinguished. Feeling angry is not a fault, but it is a responsibility. Anger causes different health problems in men and women. You can read about this and more in my book, Qigong Through The Seasons. Chinese medicine and Daoist qigong practices have many ways to help you deal with anger. Acupuncture and meditation can really be beneficial.

Please read my blog post “Spring Tuneup” dated 03 April 2017 . It describes the best example of preventative medicine using acupuncture and herbs. To schedule a treatment please contact me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

A simple yet profound meditation is called Inner Nourishing. Here’s how you do it.

Sit in a chair or on a cushion. Rest there, be comfortable but alert. Take two deep breaths and watch your body relax down from head to heels. There are three levels of refinement in this meditation. Start with 1 and, when you feel ready, proceed to 3.

1. Inhale slowly and say silently to yourself I am calm. A slow easy effortless breath.Exhale slowly and completely as you say and relaxed. Let the breath all the way out.Repeat for several minutes. Then, if this is as far as you wish to go, stop saying the mantra and just relax there for a few more minutes. Or proceed to 2.

2.Inhale slowly, saying I am calm, and lightly place the tip of your tongue behind your upper front teeth.Exhale completely, saying and relaxed, and release the tongue to rest in neutral position.Repeat for several minutes. Then, if this is as far as you wish to go, stop saying the mantra and moving your tongue and sit there for a few more minutes. Or proceed to 3.

3.Inhale slowly, saying I am calm, and lightly place the tip of your tongue behind your upper front teeth at the same time you mentally visualize energy moving from your tailbone, up the spine, over the head to the roof of your mouth.Exhale slowly and completely as you say and relaxed, release the tongue to rest in neutral position and visualize the energy going down the front of your body to the lower dan tian behind the navel. Let the breath all the way out. Repeat this for awhile. Then stop the mantra and tongue moving and sit there in tranquility for a few more minutes.

Inner Nourishing is an internal energy cultivation practice that originated in the Ming dynasty. This neigong exercise was a closely held secret of ancient Daoist masters; they transmitted it to only a few select students. In the late 1940s, the Chinese government decided that it should be available to everyone so that they could enjoy a happy and healthy life.